The First Women's Sexual Dysfunction Drug Is Up for FDA Approval

Your libido might be getting a boost this week. This week, flibanserin (rhymes with "vagina") is up for FDA approval for the third time, with lawmakers and a grassroots support effort in full force. The first two rejections were harsh—the FDA approval board refused to put a drug on the market that demonstrated only modest benefits and whose side effects (sleepiness, nausea, drowsiness—the usual nightmare trifecta) were more prominent than the drug itself. Unlike Viagra, which shows an immediate (ahem) effect, flibanserin needs to be taken over a longer period of time, and becomes more effective over steady dosage. Basically, it'll require some foreplay on your body's part but promises to work over a longer period to enhance women's sex drive. This would be a pretty revolutionary drug to enter the market, considering there are currently more than 20 drugs for male sexual enhancement on the market...and zero for women. Sprout Pharmaceuticals, the creator of flibanserin, is a sponsor of the media campaign Even the Score, which was designed to promote women's sexual health equity. They've raised awareness for the serious lack of pharmaceutical options for women who suffer from sexual dysfunction, and have teamed up with Terry O'Neill, the

Your libido might be getting a boost this week. This week, flibanserin (rhymes with "vagina") is up for FDA approval for the third time, with lawmakers and a grassroots support effort in full force.

The first two rejections were harsh—the FDA approval board refused to put a drug on the market that demonstrated only modest benefits and whose side effects (sleepiness, nausea, drowsiness—the usual nightmare trifecta) were more prominent than the drug itself.

Unlike Viagra, which shows an immediate (ahem) effect, flibanserin needs to be taken over a longer period of time, and becomes more effective over steady dosage. Basically, it'll require some foreplay on your body's part but promises to work over a longer period to enhance women's sex drive. This would be a pretty revolutionary drug to enter the market, considering there are currently more than 20 drugs for male sexual enhancement on the market...and

zero

for women.

Sprout Pharmaceuticals, the creator of flibanserin, is a sponsor of the media campaign Even the Score, which was designed to promote women's sexual health equity. They've raised awareness for the serious lack of pharmaceutical options for women who suffer from sexual dysfunction, and have teamed up with Terry O'Neill, the president of NOW (National Organization for Women), to speak out against the inherent gender bias in pharmaceutical sexual-enhancement drugs.

The truth is, women's sexual pleasure has been largely ignored by lawmakers and even science for most of history, so the fact that both science AND the law are coming together to discuss our natural right to bodily pleasure is a minor success in itself. All women deserve the right to a positive, pleasurable sexual experience.

If flibanserin isn't the drug to provide it, then another one will. Lorexys, a nonhormonal oral drug, was fast-tracked by the FDA for an accelerated testing path since it's composed of antidepressants already on the market and approved by the administration.

UPDATE 5:30 P.M.: The New York Times reports that the FDA has voted 18-6 in recommendation of approval of flibanserin. "All of those who voted yes said approval should come only if certain measures are taken to reduce the risks of side effects," the Times says.

Here's hoping the benefits outweigh the side effects this time. Climaxes for everyone!